Robotic surgical apparatus, surgical instrument, and method of attaching surgical instrument to robot arm

Abstract

A patient-side apparatus according an embodiment may include a robot arm; an adaptor that is attached to the robot arm; and a surgical instrument that is attached to the adaptor by sliding the surgical instrument to the adaptor. The adaptor includes: an adaptor base including an arm attachment surface and a surgical instrument attachment surface; a drive transmission member provided being movable in a direction perpendicular to the surgical instrument attachment surface and configured to transmit a driving force from the robot arm to the surgical instrument. The surgical instrument includes a surgical instrument base including an adaptor attachment surface. The surgical instrument base includes an inclined surface configured, upon slide attachment of the surgical instrument to the adaptor, to come in contact with the drive transmission member to move the drive transmission member toward the robot arm side in a direction perpendicular to the surgical instrument attachment surface.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A robotic surgical apparatus comprising:
 a robot arm; 
 an adaptor that is attached to the robot arm; and 
 a surgical instrument that is attached to the adaptor by sliding the surgical instrument with respect to the adaptor, the surgical instrument including a driven member, wherein 
 the adaptor includes: an adaptor base including an arm attachment surface which is attached to the robot arm and a surgical instrument attachment surface which is provided on an opposite side of the arm attachment surface and to which the surgical instrument is attached; and a drive transmission member provided being movable in a direction perpendicular to the surgical instrument attachment surface of the adaptor base and configured to be engaged with the driven member of the surgical instrument at a position where the surgical instrument is attached to the adaptor to transmit a driving force from the robot arm to the driven member of the surgical instrument, the drive transmission member being provided in the adaptor base such that a part of the drive transmission member is protruded out of the adaptor base from the surgical instrument attachment surface of the adaptor base, 
 the surgical instrument includes a surgical instrument base including an adaptor attachment surface to be attached to the adaptor, and 
 the surgical instrument base includes an inclined surface of the surgical instrument configured, upon slide attachment of the surgical instrument to the adaptor, to come in contact with the protruded part of the drive transmission member to move the drive transmission member toward the robot arm side in the direction perpendicular to the surgical instrument attachment surface of the adaptor before the drive transmission member is engaged with the driven member of the surgical instrument, so as to prevent the protruded part of the drive transmission member from interfering with the slide attachment of the surgical instrument. 
 
     
     
       2. The robotic surgical apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the drive transmission member of the adaptor includes an inclined surface of the adaptor configured, upon the slide attachment, to come in contact with the inclined surface of the surgical instrument. 
 
     
     
       3. The robotic surgical apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein
 an inclination angle of the inclined surface of the adaptor with respect to a surface of the drive transmission member on the surgical instrument side is greater than an inclination angle of the inclined surface of the surgical instrument with respect to the adaptor attachment surface of the surgical instrument. 
 
     
     
       4. The robotic surgical apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein
 the drive transmission member includes: a first member being movable in the direction perpendicular to the surgical instrument attachment surface; a second member provided being movable with respect to the first member; and a bias member provided between the first member and the second member, and 
 a surface of the first member on the surgical instrument side comprises the surface of the drive transmission member on the surgical instrument side. 
 
     
     
       5. The robotic surgical apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the drive transmission member includes: a first member being movable in the direction perpendicular to the surgical instrument attachment surface; a second member provided being movable with respect to the first member; and a bias member provided between the first member and the second member. 
 
     
     
       6. The robotic surgical apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 an inclination angle of the inclined surface of the surgical instrument with respect to the adaptor attachment surface of the surgical instrument is greater than 0 degrees and not greater than 45 degrees. 
 
     
     
       7. The robotic surgical apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the inclined surface of the surgical instrument is wider than the drive transmission member in a widthwise direction substantially orthogonal to a direction of the slide attachment of the surgical instrument to the adaptor. 
 
     
     
       8. The robotic surgical apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the adaptor further includes a precedence guide portion protruded from the adaptor base in a direction opposite to a direction of the slide attachment of the surgical instrument to the adaptor and configured, upon the slide attachment of the surgical instrument to the adaptor, to guide the surgical instrument. 
 
     
     
       9. The robotic surgical apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein
 the surgical instrument base further includes a guided portion protruded toward the adaptor side from the adaptor attachment surface and configured, upon the slide attachment, to be guided by the precedence guide portion of the adaptor. 
 
     
     
       10. The robotic surgical apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein
 the precedence guide portion of the adaptor includes a pair of guide bars protruded from the adaptor base in the direction opposite to the slide attachment direction and a guide bar connection portion connecting the pair of guide bars. 
 
     
     
       11. The robotic surgical apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein
 the surgical instrument base further includes a pair of guided portions protruded toward the adaptor side from the adaptor attachment surface and configured, upon the slide attachment, to be guided by the pair of guide bars. 
 
     
     
       12. The robotic surgical apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the adaptor attachment surface of the surgical instrument includes a pair of guide grooves extending along a direction of the slide attachment of the surgical instrument to the adaptor, and 
 the surgical instrument attachment surface of the adaptor includes a pair of guide rails to be inserted in the pair of guide grooves. 
 
     
     
       13. The robotic surgical apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein
 the adaptor attachment surface of the surgical instrument includes a precedence guide groove provided between the pair of guide grooves and extending along the slide attachment direction, 
 the surgical instrument attachment surface of the adaptor includes a precedence guide rail provided between the pair of guide rails and configured to guide the precedence guide groove, and 
 the precedence guide rail guides the surgical instrument before the pair of guide rails guides the surgical instrument. 
 
     
     
       14. The robotic surgical apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the surgical instrument base includes, at a portion of the surgical instrument base on a side opposite to a direction of the slide attachment of the surgical instrument to the adaptor, a first engagement portion of the surgical instrument protruded toward the adaptor side from the adaptor attachment surface, and 
 the adaptor base includes, at a portion of the adaptor base on the side opposite to the slide attachment direction, a first engagement portion of the adaptor configured to be engaged with the first engagement portion of the surgical instrument. 
 
     
     
       15. The robotic surgical apparatus according to  claim 14 , wherein
 the adaptor base includes, at a portion of the adaptor base on a leading side of the slide attachment direction, a second engagement portion of the adaptor protruded toward the surgical instrument side from the surgical instrument attachment surface, and 
 the surgical instrument base includes, at a portion of the surgical instrument base on the leading side of the slide attachment direction, a second engagement portion of the surgical instrument configured to be engaged with the second engagement portion of the adaptor. 
 
     
     
       16. The robotic surgical apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 a direction of the slide attachment of the surgical instrument to the adaptor is substantially parallel to a direction in which a shaft of the surgical instrument extends. 
 
     
     
       17. The robotic surgical apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the adaptor is a drape adaptor configured to sandwich a drape between the adaptor and the robot arm. 
 
     
     
       18. The robotic surgical apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the inclined surface of the surgical instrument is provided at a portion of the adaptor attachment surface of the surgical instrument base on a leading side of a direction of the slide attachment of the surgical instrument to the adaptor. 
 
     
     
       19. A surgical instrument to be attached to a surgical instrument attachment surface of an adaptor provided on an opposite side of an arm attachment surface of the adaptor configured to be attached to a robot arm, by sliding the surgical instrument with respect to the adaptor, comprising:
 a surgical instrument base including an adaptor attachment surface to be attached to the adaptor; and 
 a driven member configured to be engaged with a drive transmission member provided in the adaptor at a position where the surgical instrument is attached to the adaptor, wherein 
 the drive transmission member of the adaptor is provided in an adaptor base such that a part of the drive transmission member is protruded out of the adaptor base from the surgical instrument attachment surface of the adaptor base, 
 the drive transmission member of the adaptor being movable in a direction perpendicular to the surgical instrument attachment surface of the adaptor and configured to be engaged with the driven member of the surgical instrument at the position where the surgical instrument is attached to the adaptor so as to transmit a driving force from the robot arm to the driven member of the surgical instrument, and 
 the surgical instrument base includes an inclined surface of the surgical instrument configured, upon slide attachment of the surgical instrument to the adaptor, to come in contact with the protruded part of the drive transmission member to move the drive transmission member toward the robot arm side in the direction perpendicular to the surgical instrument attachment surface of the adaptor before the drive transmission member is engaged with the driven member of the surgical instrument so as to prevent the protruded part of the drive transmission member from interfering with the slide attachment of the surgical instrument. 
 
     
     
       20. A method of attaching a surgical instrument to an adaptor attached to a robot arm by sliding the surgical instrument with respect to the adaptor, wherein at a position where the surgical instrument is attached to the adaptor, a drive transmission member provided in the adaptor is engaged with a driven member provided in the surgical instrument to transmit a driving force from the robot arm to the driven member of the surgical instrument, and, before the surgical instrument is attached to the adaptor to engage the drive transmission member of the adaptor with the driven member of the surgical instrument, a part of the drive transmission member is protruded out of an adaptor base from a surgical instrument attachment surface of the adaptor base, the method comprising:
 guiding the surgical instrument to move in a direction of slide attachment of the surgical instrument to the adaptor by a precedence guide portion that is protruded from the adaptor base of the adaptor toward a direction opposite to the direction of the slide attachment of the surgical instrument to the adaptor; 
 bringing an inclined surface of the surgical instrument into contact with the protruded part of the drive transmission member to move the drive transmission member in a direction perpendicular to the slide attachment direction before the drive transmission member is engaged with the driven member of the surgical instrument so as to prevent the protruded part of the drive transmission member from interfering with the slide attachment of the surgical instrument; and 
 engaging the drive transmission member with the driven member of the surgical instrument at the position where the surgical instrument is attached to the adaptor at an end of the slide attachment of the surgical instrument to the adaptor.